Seafood & Bok Choy Fried Rice
It’s so easy to make fried rice, no? I mean you can pretty much put anything you want in it and turn it into a standalone dish. I like doing that when I’m busy or uncreative. Two almost bad situations yet rewarded with an easy and yummy dish called fried rice with all sorts of stuff in it. Like this seafood fried rice with shrimp, squid and bok choy.
INGREDIENTS:
cooked white rice
vegetable oil for cooking
half onion, chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 bag of frozen shrimp, thawed
1 bag of frozen cut up squid, thawed
4-5 leaves of bok choy, chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce for seasoning
black pepper and a sprinkle of dried oregano
Heat up oil in a wok or a non-stick sauté pan. Sauté onions and garlic for a minute or so. Add the frozen squid, cook for a few minutes. Then add the shrimp to cook for another few minutes. Add the rice, season with soy sauce, black pepper and dried oregano. Stir everything together until well combined. Stir in the bok choy last, let that cook for maybe 3-5 more minutes, stir couple of times.
I mean, doesn’t that look like a complete meal right there? Seafood (main entrée), starch (rice), and then the bok choy as the veggies side.
Crockpot Cooking: Southern Pork Barbeque
When someone mentions “Pork Barbeque” here in North Carolina, it doesn’t mean you’re about to eat a piece of pork marinated in a tomato based bbq sauce then grilled. NOPE. Here in the South, when we say Pork Barbeque, we’re talking about pork roast cooked for hours, then pulled into shreds, then partnered with a vinegar-based spicy barbeque sauce. You would be surprised how people take their North Carolina Pork Barbeque seriously. I wouldn’t be surprised if I get some flack in this blog with my own version which I cooked in a crockpot. See, once the sauce is mixed together, you’re supposed to let the whole thing infuse for about 4-8 hours. Some even said it should infuse for a month before you pour it in the pulled pork. Whewww. I don’t think I could wait that long. Hence, the crockpot. I figured the slow-cooking method will take care of infusing the sauce with the meat. Right?
To the North Carolina pork barbeque connoisseurs out there who might find their way in my little foodblog, I apologize first hand if my version is not authentic. I just really love it but I can’t afford $6/1 quart of it all the time so I have to make my own, in the easiest most affordable way I possibly could. If it makes you feel any better, no one can compare North Carolina pork barbeque in my book. My heart beats strongly for North Carolina pork barbeque. I dream about it everyday, I live for it, I ……….. errrm, just ask my husband (if you can find him in Facebook), he’ll tell you.
Ok, enough with the pork barbeque drama, let me show you how I make mine……
INGREDIENTS:
pork roast
1 cup of white vinegar
1 cup of apple cider vinegar
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika powder
1/2 cup of water
1 tbsp hot sauce (Texas Pete is highly recommended)
1 tbsp brown sugar
generous sprinkle of red pepper flakes (more if you like spicy food)
sprinkle of black pepper
Except for the pork roast, mix the remaining ingredients together in a bowl.
Place the pork roast in a crockpot. Pour the barbeque sauce onto the pot. Set your settings. If you’re cooking at about 9am, set it to LOW. If you’re cooking at about 10 or 11, set it to HIGH. Let the magic of slow-cooking do its job. While it’s cooking, do the laundry, or the dishes, then watch a DVD movie with the family. Heck you can actually watch 2 movies while the pork is cooking. If chores and movies aren’t your thing that day, read a book while the whole thing is simmering away.
Here it is after cooking for hours. Use a bigger size of pork roast if you want. No biggie. Try it with roast with skin too.
Scoop some of the sauce from the crockpot into a small pot. About 3-4 cups or so. Let it simmer in the stove to reduce in half. Stirring occasionally.
While the sauce is reducing in the stove, shred the pork using two forks. Or a fork & knife combo, whichever way is easier for you.
Transfer the pulled pork into a serving bowl. Once the sauce has been reduced into half, pour over the shredded pork and stir together. Sprinkle more red pepper flakes if you want.
Serve with 2 side dishes or make a sandwich out of it with burger buns, sub sandwiches.. whatever.
Aaaaahhh, North Carolina, you’re speaking my language..
Penne With Tuna Fish & Spinach
Here’s one way I get my kids to eat their vegetables, add it in a pasta dish. Even though my son went through a phase of being a fan of Popeye The Sailor Man years ago, he never really liked spinach. The 1st time he tried it because he wanted to eat what makes Popeye strong, his face was just priceless. From then on, it’s a fight to get him to eat spinach. The only time he and I don’t have an argument about eating the spinach on his plate is when it’s incorporated in a pasta dish like chicken-spinach lasagna and this penne with tuna fish dish.
INGREDIENTS:
a box of penne pasta, cooked al dente
2 cans of tuna fish, drained
1 bag of fresh spinach
3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1/2 medium onion, chopped finely
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can of milk (use the can of mushroom soup)
sprinkle of dried basil
sprinkle of dried oregano
salt & pepper to taste
a little bit of olive oil
Cook the pasta, according to the box.
In a nonstick pan, heat up olive oil. Sauté garlic and onion. Stir in the tuna fish. Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the cream of mushroom soup, milk, dried basil, and dried oregano. Stir, then let it cook for a bit.
Add the fresh spinach into the mix. Stir gently then let it cook until spinach is wilted. Drain the water off of the cooked pasta.
Pour the tuna and spinach mixture into the pot of pasta, season with salt and pepper. Stir to incorporate the pasta with the sauce
Generously sprinkle ground parmesan cheese on top. Serve with garlic bread.
Sweet & Chewy Snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodles are usually made around Christmas time but because these cookies are so easy to make and they have just enough sugary flavor to cater a craving for something sweet, you can pretty much make them any day.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups of flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Beat butter using an electric mixer. Add the sugar, baking soda and cream of tartar, then beat until everything is combined. Make sure to scrape the sides occasionally. Add the egg and vanilla and beat the whole mixture together. Gradually add 1 cup of the flour and continue to beat until well combined.
Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of flour into the mixture. Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge to firm up the dough. About an hour or so.
Preheat the oven to 355°. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.
Shape the dough into mini-meatballs size, roll the balls into the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Do this in batches. Shape and roll 8 balls at a time. Place them in a cookie sheet pan, 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes or until the edges are golden. While the cookies bake, return the dough in the fridge to keep it firm. Then take it out again for the next batch. Cool the cookies in a wire rack.
There you go. Sweet, chewy, and easy to make treats for everyone this summer or anytime for that matter.
Turkey Burger With Pimiento Cheese
My husband made lunch yesterday and he made Turkey Burgers with Pimiento Cheese. I contributed by putting the curly fries on a sheet pan, then sticking it in the oven to cook. He’s sooo good at making patties. They’re always in perfect round shape. He has taught me over and over again on how to make patties but I can never get it right. Maybe I’ll shoot a tutorial video next time he makes burgers. Meanwhile, here’s the recipe for Turkey Burgers.
INGREDIENTS:
about 2-3 pounds of ground turkey
1 egg
sprinkles of seasoned salt
sprinkle of dried basil
a drop of Worcestershire sauce
fresh bread crumbs (slices of bread, pulsed on a blender)
Pimiento Cheese
Burger Buns
Using your clean hands, combine everything together in a huge bowl. Once mixed, form a small ball in your hand then flatten to form a burger patty. Do this until you have all your patties.
Cook each side of the patties on a griddle or grill ‘em outside. He used a griddle which was good coz Hubs also slightly toasted the insides of the buns with butter. Just a few seconds on the griddle.
Place the patties on top of the bottom buns, then generously slather Pimiento Cheese on top of the patties, then place the half of the bun on top.
Voila! Serve with curly fries. Pimiento Cheese is sold in a container. That, on top of the turkey patties, with slightly toasted buns? Ahh, heaven.
Beef Tofu & Mushrooms Stir-Fry
Another easy stir-fry that only needs a few ingredients that goes nicely with white rice. You’ll have a delicious lunch or dinner in no time.
INGREDIENTS:
1 steak, cut in thin strips
1 pack of of firm tofu, drained, cut in cubes
3-4 button mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 sm onion, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, shopped finely
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp oyster sauce
1/4 cup of mirin (rice wine)
1/4 cup of water
sprinkle of black pepper
4 tbsp vegetable oil
Heat up oil in a wok, or non-stick pan. Brown the tofu cubes. Be gentle so you don’t turn the tofu into mush. You want to maintain it’s shape and texture. Transfer into a bowl and set aside.
Using the same pan, sauté garlic and onions. Add the beef strips, stir and cook until tender.
Season with soy sauce, oyster sauce, water, mirin and black pepper. Add the mushrooms, stir, cover, and let it cook for another 6-8 minutes or so, or until the mushrooms are cooked.
Add the browned tofu into the pan. Gently stir everything together. Cook for another minute or so, then turn the stove off. No need to cook it any longer. You just need to incorporate the tofu into the whole thing and coat it with the sauce.
Serve on top of white rice. If you want to add more veggies, you surely can and I have the recipe for it too with a step-by-step guide to boot 
.
Honey-Mustard Pork Cutlets
I’ve made honey-mustard chicken wings a lot but I’ve never tried using the same sauce idea on pork until the other night. I decided to use pork cutlets by slicing thin cutlets from a pork roast for easy bites and fast cooking.
INGREDIENTS:
pork cutlets
2 cups of flour (save 4 tbsp for the sauce)
salt and pepper
butter for frying the pork
SAUCE:
1/2 cup or more honey
4 tbsp spicy brown mustard
1/2 cup of water
4 tbsp of flour (from the seasoning flour)
salt & pepper
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan.
Season the flour with salt and pepper. Drench the pork cutlets with flour. Fry the pork cutlets on each side. Set the cooked pork cutlets aside.
MAKE THE SAUCE: Using the same pan, add more butter to melt, add flour, scrape the bits and pieces with a whisk until you come up with a roux. Add water, honey, and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Keep stirring until you get a gravy consistency. Just add more water if it turns too thick.
Transfer the cutlets into the pan to coat them with the sauce.
I served it with herb-roasted potatoes and peas. You can serve it with other veggies and rice too if you want.
Chicken W/ Red Wine & Red Skin Potatoes
At first glance you’d probably think this is chicken adobo. Trust me, it’s not. Besides, I don’t put onions in my adobo. Well maybe scallions with the pork & coconut milk adobo but that’s about it. This is a chicken dish made with red wine, and a little bit of balsamic vinegar.
INGREDIENTS:
6-8 chicken thighs/or legs
1 cup or more red wine
2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
1 cup of water
1 large onion, quartered
3-4 large red skin potatoes, quartered
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
Heat up oil in a non-stick pan. Brown the chicken pieces, 5-6 minutes on each side.
Add water, balsamic vinegar, sprinkles of salt and pepper, then the wine. Scatter the onions and potatoes into the pan. Stir everything together. Cover the pan, set the stove in medium heat. Cook for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Potatoes must be fork tender, and the sauce has reduced quite a bit but not completely gone.
Serve with any steamed veggies.
Red Velvet Cake W/ Buttercream Frosting From Wal-Mart Supercenter
I was going through PMS last week so I was craving for something sweet. I asked my husband who called me as soon as he got on the road after work, which he always does, to find some kind of dessert at the store. I was craving sweet so bad but I didn’t feel like making anything in my own kitchen. I have my days too, yah know. I told him to check out the bakery at Wal-Mart Supercenter coz they usually have pretty little cakes that do not cost that much. He came home with this small red velvet cake with buttercream frosting. I thought the roses on top were just too pretty to eat. I loved the red trimming on the bottom too, oh and the small square that said “red velvet” was edible.
The cake was great. It was moist, and the frosting was very light. It’s a good dessert to satiate anyone’s craving or if you’re going to a party and you decide to bring the dessert. While I recommend this cake for convenience and PMS-induced cravings, I have to say I still prefer my own red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting.
Spicy Shrimp With Green Peppers Stir-Fry
A quick and easy spicy shrimp recipe much like the spicy crab flakes except with the addition of green peppers. The latter adds a cool and refreshing texture to the hot flavor of chili garlic sauce.
INGREDIENTS:
1 bag of frozen shelled shrimps
3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, sliced in thin strips
2 tbsp of chili garlic sauce
1/2 cup of water
salt and pepper
3 tbsp of vegetable oil
Heat up the oil. Sauté garlic and onion until cooked. Add the frozen shrimp. No need to thaw the shrimps. Cook for about 3 minutes or so.
Add the chili garlic sauce, water, salt and pepper. Stir and cover. Cook for another 2 minutes. Add the green peppers in the end. Stir and cook until the green peppers are tender but still crunchy.
Pretty simple, no? Serve with rice.
